The World Wide Web (“WWW”) is a multimedia-enabled hypertext system used for exchanging information via the Internet. The WWW is capable of exchanging nearly any type of data that may be stored on computers, and may be accessed using an Internet connection and a WWW browser. The WWW is made up of domains at which millions of interconnected pages or documents are available for retrieval and display on a computer monitor. Each page can have connections to other pages that may be retrieved using any computer connected to the Internet.
The WWW is based on the concept of hypertext, which is very similar to ordinary text, except in the case of hypertext, connections to other parts of the text or to other documents may be associated with words, phrases, and graphics in the text. These associated types of connections are frequently referred to as hypertext links. These hypertext links essentially allow a user to access a document in its entirety or in part in various different manners. The WWW may also utilize hypertext links to retrieve pictures, sounds, and any other data files that may be stored on a computer.
At the present time, a hypertext link is typically presented in the form of a uniform resource locator (URL). URLs enable a WWW browser to go directly to files that are stored or generated dynamically on a particular WWW server. URLs typically include at least three parts: a transfer format (also known as a protocol type), a host name of the machine that holds a requested file (may also be referred to as a domain or WWW server name), and a path name to the file. The transfer format for a standard WWW page is hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Standard Internet naming conventions are utilized for the host name portion of the URL. In addition, UNIX® directory naming conventions are utilized to indicate the path name of a file.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate conventional arrangements for accessing the Internet's WWW using a Web browser. Referring to FIG. 1, a computer 100 is shown being used as a Web client. The figure further shows a network cloud 102 that is generally designated as the WWW. The network cloud 102 includes a plurality of computers 104 that are capable of functioning as one or more Web servers. The computers 104 are generally designated as a network of computers.
The computer 100 may include a conventional Web browser 106 operating within the computer 100. The Web browser 106 in conjunction with a display device of the computer 100 is capable of displaying text 108 and/or pictures 110 forming a Web page. The text 108 and the picture 110 (i.e., the Web page) may be retrieved by entering a URL 112 using an interface of the Web browser 106. The URL 112 may be entered manually into the Web browser 106, or also may be entered by way of selecting a hypertext link associated with a Web page displayed using the Web browser 106.
FIG. 2 illustrates a computer 200 that includes at least a CPU 202 and a memory 204. The memory 204 may be a combination of both volatile and nonvolatile memory. The computer 200 includes at least an operating system 206, such as Microsoft Windows®, and a Web browser 208, such as the Microsoft® Internet Explorer®. As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the computer 200 is generally representative of a Web client.
FIG. 2 further illustrates a network cloud 210 having associated therewith various computers 212. These computers 212 are networked together and one or more thereof may be used as a Web server. The network cloud 210 illustrated in FIG. 2 is designated as the WWW.
Similar to that which was described in connection with FIG. 1, the Web browser 208 may be used by a user to enter a URL 214. This may be done manually or by way of a link associated with a Web page displayed on the Web browser 208. The URL 214 is used by the computer 200 to access and retrieve data which is stored on one of the Web servers shown in the network cloud 210.
In a standard implementation, a WWW Web server is provided with a request for data and the IP address of a Web client requesting the data. The Web server provides the requested data to the Web client associated with the IP address.
Some Web servers provide a “cookie” to the client's Web browser upon interaction between a Web site at the Web server and the client's Web browser. A cookie is a collection of information that the Web server stores in the memory of the Web client and can be accessed by the Web server to retrieve and update information about the user each time the user visits the Web site. A cookie typically includes the address of the server that sent it, and the Web browser generally only allows the Web server that created the cookie to access the cookie stored in the Web client.
Cookies can be used as part of a data collecting scheme to store a variety of information including information about the Web pages that the Web client has accessed in a particular visit to a Web site. For Web sites that require registration, for example, a cookie may hold a user name and password. The Web server may use the cookie information to tailor the Web site information to the user operating the Web client.
In many cases, a user of a Web client is not aware that the information is being maintained and collected by the cookies stored by the Web client. In some cases, a user of a Web client may not desire the sharing of information with Web servers via cookies.